TĀLĀ is right – Teenage Engineering OP-1 is a great desert island synth

It could have easily been a cute design toy. But the compact, crazy-fun OP-1 synth has stood the test of time.

FACT have added to their roster of clever video ideas with a series asking artists which instrument they’d take with them on a desert island. But maybe the most convincing of these comes from London artist TĀLĀ, who chooses the sweet, surprisingly powerful OP-1 from Teenage Engineering.

And the thing is, I’ve heard similar sentiments from other OP-1 owners. The OP-1 has had a strange life – the center of attention at its launch, then falling out of favor almost immediately, but then becoming beloved to those who hung onto them, particularly as the Teenage Engineers piled on smart updates.